Just as the Internet was instrumental in building Lupe’s career, it also derailed his debut album when it leaked months early and forced Lu to alter it. The Chicago emcee, who will release his third LP, Lasers, on March 8, recently spoke about downloading and the cost of making music.
“People are trapped in the culture where music needs to be free and you don’t need to pay for it,” he told The BoomBox. “I was just at Princeton, speaking at Cornel West’s class, and someone asked that. They asked about the relationship between blogs and artists. I told them, at a bare minimum it costs me, literally, out of my own pocket, it costs me $3,000 to $4,000 to make a song. It costs me about $700 to $800 to make a freestyle. I’m giving you that.”
“Just imagine if I work with The Neptunes,” Lupe continued. “Including studio time and everything that goes into it — flying people around — it gets up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to make a song like ‘I’m Beamin’ or ‘I Gotcha.’ So to kinda see it on the Internet and, for some instances, for sale, who are you to have the right to tell me that I shouldn’t demand payment or feel a certain way for seeing people put my music out there like that? If I chose to do that, that’s one thing. But I didn’t choose to do that. That music was stolen.”
always crying. sfu nigga. u the best nigga our right now with THEEEEEEE worst single
Someone dial 911 for the WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHmbulance.
Hey Lu, do you know who else’s albums get leaked early on the internet? EVERYONE.
Get the fuck over it.
love lupe’s music, but he’s acting like he’s broke or somethin — guarantee you this nigga has millions
He aint broke, but he aint no millionaire neither
why u dumb people dont leave ur house open and let everything u own go with someone that u dont know, just for the fun of it…
those who want everything for free are the same who never give anything back
quit being cheap and support the music you love…
stfu loser i speak whenever i want cuz all i say is da truth and since i do pay and support music im even entiteld to do so
Then obviously i wasn’t talking to you… dumb ass
His 800 dollar freestyles aint worth a buck someone must be ripping this buttsavage off; why don’t he pay out the phat cash for a decent mic and then he only pays once for a million freestyles the dumb kcuf, not that it would improve his weak swag any.
P!
waka fan ^
You sir are a dumbass.
Lupe and Metallica and all them need to wake the fuck up, the way things work now people just aren’t going to buy music like that. It’s too easy to reproduce and too expensive to pay for regularly; if I only listened to what I could pay for Lupe would not even be in the running. I’m not saying the situation wouldn’t be frustrating but this dude is still making a living off music so he’s still coming out ahead for what he’s putting in. The money comes from other places now, concert sales and promotional deals and fuck I don’t know, I’m not in the industry, but the industry is still there so dudes like Lupe just need to adjust. This battle is already lost.
Dude ur an idiot. If you’re now downloading a free mixtape then you’re stealing…plain and simple. Just because he can make money from other business ventures don’t give you the right to steal an aritist music. If I have a self-server bakery shop and put out some donuts for free(mixtape) and you take the free donuts then fine. That’s what it is intended for. That’s what I BUDGETED for. But just because I can make money from supplying the fat ass police with donuts or birthday parties doesn’t give you the right to walk into and TAKE(download) the donuts/pastries you want and walk out the store. You use brain idiot. It’s the same concept. You sheeple are just buying into, “Everyone is doing it crap”. And you wonder why we have brainless right. Because all the nonsensical raps take less to make and therefore is less of a profit loss than a rapper who spends quality hours in the studio making music you can “feel”.
if it wasn’t for torrents an artist like lupe wouldnt have a 1/10th the amount of fans he has. If he played a concert in my city i’d go and support him but I’d never consider buying his album. But if i couldn’t download his album for free i’d never hear of him or give his album a chance.
Look at producers like Juctice…….with downloads artists become mega stars in a matter of months.
Comparing downloading music illegally to stealing donuts from a bakery is the most ludicrous analogy I’ve ever heard. Plain and simple– whether you agree with it or not, music is being leaked early and downloaded illegally. You can either roll with the flow and adapt to make your money (see 50 Cent, Diddy, etc.) or you can be pig-headed and sink.
It’s only a matter of time before these penny-pinching record companies and greedy ass record execs go extinct due to illegal downloads and unwillingness to adapt… this is a much needed step in my opinion, since these pigs rob artists just as much, if not more.
Too expensive??
“A record’s 10 bucks, you act like it’s 10 G’s”… -j.cole
I download a lot of shyt.. But Eminem, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi and Atmosphere are 4 artists I won’t download from, and if I do, I’ll still buy their album. And if I download from anybody else and feel WOW! that album is sick, I buy the album.. That’s what I did with NAS/DAMIAN MARLEY, FREEWAY/JAKE-ONE, THE ROOTS, etc..
Can’t wait for LASERS!!!
@FUTUREMUSIC, because of downloading it’s harder for new artists to come up since they make little money off of their songs even if they do get some popularity they can’t afford to keep putting out quality if they’re losing more than they’re earning.
stopDownloading, you’ll notice in my post I didn’t address the issue of whether or not downloading is actually stealing, I simply pointed out the undeniable reality that people are doing it and they’re going to keep doing it no matter how much people like Lupe call them thieves because in the digital age, the average person’s appetite for music far exceeds their budget for it. If I couldn’t download Lupe’s shit (I don’t, actually, he’s not all that) you think I would go to a store and shell out 10 bucks for it? Hell no. Lupe sounds like an old man bitching about the old days, this is 2010 and things are not going back to the way they used to be so he needs to shut the fuck up and adjust. I’m not talking about right or wrong, I’m talking about how it is.
I cant wait till Lasers drop, so i can download it. haha
Still love his music.
No way will I be illegally downloading the best rapper out right now new Cd LASERS!
Lupe is miles beyond pop Eminem shit!
its true.
Eminem is and never will be pop, i dont care what anyone says. I like Lupe alot, but better than Em? Please, check his underground shit and freestyles from 97-99 best combination of wit, humor, style, cleverness charisma, etc. What Eminem makes becomes pop because its so good.
Eminem is pop period all his albums are pop with corny songs and recycled content he isn’t close to fuckin with Lupe, Lupes arguably top 25 eminem isn’t…
ok, so now we know, Lupe is in the rap game only for money and not the love, no wonder we all listen to artists signed to Duck Down and such 😉
I’LL DOWNLOAD WHAT THE FUCK I WANNA DOWNLOAD BITCH
rolflmao first comment I see and im dying
lupe your the man, but shut the fuck up get off atlantic and drop L.A.S.E.R.S. and ill be more than happy to buy it… bitch
Truth is Lupe need to take a page out of Lil’ Wayne, Young Jeezy Ross and Fab Drake Kanye etc.. Book. The more music people hear from you for free helps them feel comfortable buying your cd. Stop complaining and keep grinding. He lying anyway. That damn BMF freestyle did not cost $800. You think Wayne paying thousands for those droughts shits hell no. Download an instrumental rap it on your Macbook or something. Studio time is only $30 hr. if you take 5 hours to record a freestyle you need to write at home first.
You can’t just download the instrumental, real artists have to purchase the instrumental from the producer which probably costs hundreds then pay the websites and pay for promotion as well.
Actuallly, mixtapes are unofficial and unpublished, so they don’t pay the producer.
You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. $30/hr for studio time? Yeah maybe for the hood studios! The studios they record in are ran by experienced and licensed engineers. When paying for studio time, you pay for their rate as well as the equipment they’re using (which is usually top of the line, not just protools or reason on a macbook). So, it is expensive. Lupe just needs to expand his musical talents a bit. Maybe he should open his own studio and learn his way around a protools and a sound board. Maybe if he started doing more in-house he wouldn’t have so many leaks?
did any of you see the carter dicumentary? did you see how weezy records his songs? i know many of y’all hate him so this is not about the QUALITY of his music but just they way he does it. first off you dont need some big porducer to get a dope beat. next setup your own studio. if weezy can record in hotel rooms and on tour buses then for sure he can at minimum setup a home studio. i feel him but its loke everybody else said, you have to work around the shyt when it snot working in your favor. complaining about it will get you know where. and why does he have to fly producers out? i hear artists talking about sending tracks to each other all the time….
Too bad that is just the way things are now. You chose to be in the industry, so deal with it. I’m not saying that downloading is right because it is obviously wrong, but what I am saying is downloading is just the reality of the current situation. On one hand, you have the right to bitch about it, but on the other hand, it is the path you chose and there are millions who would kill to be in your position. It’s not like you don’t make plenty of money. You profit in large amounts for those investments you put into making music. Even though album sales are down, there are still tons of other ways to get the money you put into it back and with large profits. So what you need to do is just have a Coke and a smile and shut the fuck up. When you want to speak up on some real shit, you do that, but no one wants to hear the bitchin’ on some bullshit. Talk about how fake cats are corrupting hip hop and abusing the current situation for economical interests. Talk about how the industry allows talentless idiots to have multi-million dollar record deals as POP stars when there are quality MCs/Producers who are strugglin’ to make ends. Talk about how MTV and BET support reality TV and other bs instead of real music. Talk about racism, education, politics, jobs and all that. Even Kanye West is saying shit that is more real than what you’re saying ( i.e Talk about how the media is non-sense and how award shows give awards to undeserving individuals (not saying Taylor Swift is one of them, I’m just saying, it happens)).
So I guess you working for free is cool too…hold up I will go tell your boss. I can feel Lupe you put your heart and soul into your work only to have someone give it away. Freestyle are freestyles thats why it starts with FREE. However, it cost him more money because he still has to pay his manager, his crew, recoup record label expenses, producers, featured artist, studio’s, distributers, and other expenses.
He truly just needs to adjust. Instead of flying producers around the nation to record send a secured zip file via email, skype, or other private file sharing systems. Build your own studio. Lupe is actually big enough and good enough that he doesn’t need a label and just like That Dude said put out 2 or 3 mixtapes before a major album sell a couple of them and give one away.
Look at Yo Gotti he might not be the best artist out but he know’s how to cater to his fans for one and to the public that have never heard of Yo Gotti. He does his own production, managing, and distribution. It’s grind time Lupe if the world changes you need to change with it yet keep the special thing that makes you who you are.
It’s a tough situation for artists today. The music Lupe is making now would have gotten regular rotation on the radio back in the 90’s. He woulda had nothing to worry about. Now, the labels aren’t pushing these songs to radio like they used to. Without the internet no one would hear his music. The labels are the biggest problem today. They want everything to come easy and don’t want to put the dollars and effort into pushing the artists they sign anymore.
Honestly, if you have a huge fan base like Lupe does you don’t need the label to push the hell out of your album.
He needs to be more accessible to public. You got Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, youtube to push your album check and see how many followers he has bet its in the hundred of thousands.
True the power needs to be removed from these industry fat cats that don’t do anything but collect a pay check from your hard work and honestly Music Artist can be ten times more successful without them and money wouldn’t be a problem ask Three Six Mafia.
im broke as a joke and i love music, so im gonna keep downloading my shit so i can jam.. feel me mayne???
Chuuuch!
700-800 a freestyle suck a dick. that just sounds so grossly jewish coming from such an average emcee.
“Grossly jewish”? Wow. The ignorance of that statement is unmatched.
Average? Lupe? Hardly, homie. This statement holds little to no validity with me, fam. Not to mention the racial slur. Get outta’ here with that negative shit.
give this boy some tissue
And how many hundreds of times over did Lupe recoup that 3-4 Gs for making superstar? I like Lupe alot, but am very dissappointed to hear this shit from him, but thats what happens when youre in the big mainstream record industry, it changes you, and its not all of his fault, im sure he does lose some money and get screwed out of more by the label itself, but real artists make their money doing shows. Tell Lupe to tour more and he’ll get his money right. Thats why you dont hear Wayne complaining, and his shit gets bootleged more than anyone right now, but he get 100Gs a show or something ridiculous. Lupe has such a cult following he could probably tour year round and just stack cheese.
actually, im going to keep downloadin my shit. right now on a big record label 90% of the profits of songs/albums go to the record label itself, while 10% goes to the artist and his people. Accordin to some shit i read earlier, a person who even gets large sales will still make about 85% to 90% of the money he makes from live performences, and it was at around 80% back in the 90s, so stfu with the money your losing. this bitching all these artists do piss me off
oh, also, free downloads are the reason i know so much about hip hop. if i had to pay for all my songs and albums i would really only have ever bought emine and all the people pushed into the media, and never even would have found out about all the underground artists.
i fucks with lupe but recently he’s turning into a whiny drama queen bitch. lupe you make thousands, the ppl downloading ur music for free r the same ppl who are PAYING to see you at concerts (you know, the place you make your real money). so stop whining and make some music.
actually, im going to keep downloadin my shit. right now on a big record label 90% of the profits of songs/albums go to the record label itself, while 10% goes to the artist and his people. Accordin to some shit i read earlier, a person who even gets large sales will still make about 85% to 90% of the money he makes from live performences, and it was at around 80% back in the 90s, so stfu with the money your losing. this bitching all these artists do piss me off
oh, also, free downloads are the reason i know so much about hip hop. if i had to pay for all my songs and albums i would really only have ever bought emine and all the people pushed into the media, and never even would have found out about all the underground artists.
You idiots have no idea what you’re talking about. If YOU made the music YOU’D feel the SAME WAY!! It doesn’t matter how much money he has. McDonald’s is worth BILLIONS but you still have to pay when you go and order food. That’s how they stay in business you fucking idiots!! Jay said if you owe me 10 dollars you’re not giving me 9. You guys are “hurt” because Lupe wants to get paid for his work. Do me favor and go to work all day and have your boss tell you that you worked for free that day. Fuck outta here. Dumb fucks!!
not the fucken same, idiot. 85%-90% of the money artists make even without illegal downloads come from live performances.
Oh so it’s ok then? Exactly!! so they make even less from the actual songs. All the more reason they’d be pissed. You can try and justify all you want, but you’d be pissed too. Of course in any industry you have to give away product, but he loses a ton of money with downloading. Like I said, if it was you, you’d be singing a totally different tune. Also, Lupe spoke on many subjects and answered a ton of questions. He didn’t harp on stolen music the whole fucking time…it’s just what this article chose to focus on.
IF IT WAS YOU, YOU’D CARE.
@Billy Bucks
Totally agree with you mah nigga, all these cheap ass niggas talkin bout downloadin and shit need to stop bein so fuckin cheap and go out and buy the records. don’t sing the praises of the artists if you don’t support they art. How’d ya’all niggas who sayin you downloadin shit, howd you feel if I rolled up into ur crib and took ur food stamps and bought shit with it. Exactly, fuck outta here with all these cheap, lame niggas logic.
Bawse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
stop bitching about leaking get over it it’s not gonna improve
focus on making some decent pop tunes so Atlantic doesn’t drop your ass
we all know your the best new rapper in the last 10 years
we all agree you’re lyrically skilled creative and original stop being a crybaby Lupe
The nature of the game has changed. Downloading music for free is engrained in our society. It’s totally understandable why Lupe feels this way but artists just need to work around it. Give songs away for free and use your music as a promotional tool to book more shows, sell more merchandise, build up a brand for yourself. There are plenty of other ways to make money as an artist than selling a damn song.
Yikes. This dude is starting to act like a bitch. One of my favorite rappers but over the past couple months all I’ve seen from him is whining and bitching. Grow a set man
Record sells are UP every year since 2006. If you are hurting, there is nothing to put blame on other than your business model. GTFOH with that bullshit.
Im listening to new albums through internet and if its worth it to buy, then i do it…
totally!
You guys gotta remember that Lupe has dealt with leaks in a manner that is much worse than 99% of the other rappers out there. We all know about the leaks from F&L but Shining Down and I’m Beamin’ were both leaked prematurely and led to both singles having to be rush released and not performing up to standards afterwards, and eventually being left off Lasers. But when The Show Goes On is released at the correct date without any leaks, the song is more well received due to it being completely finished (no incomplete demos, i.e. Under Pressure) and it ends up outcharting both Shining Down and I’m Beamin’. So give the man a break here, he’s obviously emotional on the subject and it’s something that’s important to him.
I gotta say that I myself am guilty of illegal downloading though… if an album is anything less than a 9/10 in my book, it’s not worth $10, but I still end up spending around $300-400 for music each year because I find a lot of good albums.
i just got done burning me a some cds for a party LOL
HAHAHAHA… Lupe Fiasco is bitching about illegal downloading. No wonder this gay faggot nigga sucks. No one wants to buy a CD full of Call of Duty and Halo references. Fuck that nerd shit. Jedi Mind Tricks own that cunt
People are morons. They don’t understand what goes into making “art”. Movies, Music, paintings whatever, they think it’s easy because they see the “lifestyle” attached to it. A very small percentage of artist in the world make real money, the rest are lucky to be able to pay rent. Underground artist NEED the cash too and if they say they don’t then they’re probably still living with moms. Lupe’s 100% right.
Here my Lupe Fiasco diss:
Lupe fiasco is such a fuckin’ disaster
This gay nerd nigga suckin’ dick from his master
Rhymin’ gibberish shit when can’t spit
Because the words comin’ out his mouth are shit
Jackin’ off his semen in a puddle of crap
He never on track so fuck all his rap
Fuck rap music, I fuck with Twilight
Edward Cullen will kill this pussy tonight
My Chemical Romance are the savoirs of music
Anyone who disagrees is full of shit
I’m not a motherfucking troll, that’s how I roll
No you bitches suck my dick when the bell toll
You’re a disgrace to my religion, go to hell
I hope the devil raps you so I have story to tell
Cut yourself, better you kill yourself
Because you gay ass nerd shit will never sell
and i’m guessing that bullshit you write will sell. your garbage dog, keep your day job
yo dat shit out b
Lupe does have a point, cant really front on that. What about people uploading songs on youtube? thats another form of leaking an artist songs.
I download 20X as many albums as I buy. Its just for some artists I dont care for them. But Lupe I will always buy his albums in my opinon he is the best rapper alive right now better than Nas, Common Eminem, ect….. He just puts so much work into his albums its sad that people illegaly download his stuff. IE I’m Beamin, Go To Sleep, Shining Down, ect were all great songs but sadly won’t be on LASERS because of dumbfucks who leak it. smh hope Lupe outsells everyone including Dr Dre.
If you don’t care for someone why even download their music? I fell lupe that’s still stealing
Why not? its free…… ill probably listen to it here and there, but its def not worth $10
for albums like nas’ illmatic and such, no matter if its leaked or even you’ve had it for soo long, you still want to buy the album to have the physical form of the tracks. the fact is noone wants to buy a cd for only 1 or 2 songs that they want to listen to.
for albums like nas illmatic and such, no matter if its leaked or even you’ve had it for soo long, you still want to buy the album to have the physical form of the tracks. the fact is noone wants to buy a cd for only 1 or 2 songs that they want to listen to.
for albums like nas illmatic and such, no matter if its leaked or even you’ve had it for soo long, you still want to buy the album to have the physical form of the tracks. the fact is noone wants to buy a cd for only 1 or 2 songs that they want to listen to
sorry lu, but that’s the way the industry is. Make your money through shows and other things, you have no other choice
Almost every smart Hip-Hop artist nowadays knows that you are playing a losing game when you try to speak out against pirated music. Why do you think cats like Wiz Khalifa, J Cole, Drake, Kanye etc. put out free GOOD music for the masses? Cause they know that people will support them when they actually do put out an album because a majority of us fans will feel like we should return the favor. Look at Drake, he gave out two free mixtapes before the album that were, in my OPINION, classics and his album was leaked weeks before it came out, but did you hear any complaints from him? Hell no, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. And his album still went platinum. Same thing with Kanye and all those G.O.O.D. Friday releases, he’s going platinum easily.
Quality music given out for free. It shows how dedicated you are to your fans. I’m not talking about Lupe’s weak mixtapes where it seems like he put little effort into. I’m talking about Wiz’s Kush & OJ, all original beats and an updated sound, not to mention the millions of mixtapes that dude put out beforehand. I’m talking about The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights, all original beats with mad effort put into them. Those are quality releases that feel like the artist actually worked his ass off to make perfect rather than Enemy of the State, where Lu basically took a bunch of beats from previous releases and spat bars on them. Don’t get me wrong, his lyrical ability was never in question on those mixtapes, it just seemed like he was just putting something out there for the heck of it that he worked on in one day.
I’m tired of hearing this guy get all riled up and throwing a bitch fit over his music being pirated. It’s the fucking 21st century man, get used to it. Find a way around that shit, don’t just pout and cross your arms and say that you don’t think your next album is gonna be a good one just because of your label drama and people leaking your shit. Fuck outta here with that crybaby bullshit. I understand that it’s frustrating to have to deal with your music being leaked but deal with it dude.
Put out a GREAT mixtape before the album that you actually poured your heart and soul into, make us believe that you care more about the fans and putting out great music than you do about dollars and cents. That’s the artist that we thought you were and still believe you are deep inside. If you take the time to please the fans and get your name back into the mainstream with amazing free music, the fans will flock to the store to get Lasers, I almost guarantee it.
Thats your first problem Most of the artists you are mentioning are wack as hell lol they dont complain about the internet cause they create crap. But i do agree no sense of complaining cause it will not change. But i dont think Lupe was Complaining i think he was just pointing it out.
You idiot the artist you are talking about ARE ALREADY on a major and have made their millions in the CD/Tape era. There’s a difference when you have the machine backing you.
Hello? he poured his heart out on lasers, nd he has a right to speak out against stealing music, i would do the same. Rather than putting out mixtape after mixtape, he puts all of his time into his big projects. People like Young Jeezy nd Wiz Khalifa have time to put out these mixtapes because they aren’t working as hard as Lupe, theyre just partying nd makin songs about weed. Lupe is one of the few rappers who puts out messages in his music. I’m very disappointed by the freshman team this year. Once Lupe nd Nas leave the game, who are we gonna have? I’m just saying, you want free music its not gonna be a fraction as good as the work Lupe is doin. How dare you even compare Lupe to Wiz nd Cole. SMDH gtfoh
Do I have to comment on why Lupe Fiasco sucks dick?
It’s GUCCI TIME!
Do I have to comment on how
gucciManeGOAT sucks Gucci Mane’s dick?
No its self explanatory
Also, his lazy ass needs to get off the couch and go on the road. Giving out mixtapes isn’t the only way to get people hyped up. And if money is a problem, then that solves it. And don’t work with the damn Neptunes if you don’t want to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is fucking basic shit. These new cats seem to have a better understanding of the game than you do Lu, and that’s pretty sad.
yall aint getting the point, a rule is not a good rule if its not valid for everybody. lets imagine all music was downloadable free of charge. who do u think will pay (invest) in the production when there is no outcome of it? NOONE. guess how much music we would have at the end of the day? NONE. do u really believe that all the undergroundartist are giving out free shit for the fuckin fun of it. NO. they see it as investment in the future but if theres no return they will also stop sooner or later with it. GETIING THE POINT? u gotta think after tomorrow.
You think underground artists rely on album sales? Yeah right, their true income comes from going on tour and doing shows. That is the true money maker. That’s why Wiz Khalifa is a millionaire right now even though his debut hasn’t even dropped yet. It’s called putting in work. And dude, all music IS downloadable free of charge.
Music shouldn’t be made with the intention to get a paycheck anyway. That’s why Hip-Hop is fucked up nowadays and everybody focuses on dollars in their raps. If you are a true artist that truly loves making music and letting the world hear it, then album sales shouldn’t matter to you and low sales shouldn’t be close to the reason that you quit making music.
Don’t get me wrong, I think people should pay for albums that they like but downloading isn’t going to go away no matter what anybody says or does. That’s why these artist’s need to adapt. And I’m ok with artist’s quitting the game just because their album’s don’t sell enough, it just weeds out all the crap and gives more light to the people who actually love what they do regardless of the return.
i even agree with u upto a certain point in regards to the love for the music. but they can at least expect some love back. and would u steal from someone that u love. its ok to give out free tapes, i also luvin it, but lupe is right he cannot give out everything for free cuz its his fulltime job and he gotta get paid with it. why do u expect musicans to work for free while everyone else is getting paid. and worst thing is that others make the dollars he aint getting by stealing it.
I think it’s definitely about adapting. I feel what lupe is saying but who the fuck can afford to buy every CD if they want that music? Call me cheap but that’s a luxury. This year alone i have downloaded 3000+ songs, if you take that as 15songs an album that’s like £2600 for 2010 alone and 90% of it is so sub-standard it’s amazing. I got alot of other shit id rather spend that kinda money on when i can just download it all.
Lupe gotta be able to deal with how things are these days, most people want to download the album or singles before they consider buying it. And it has to be an amazing album to go out and spend £12.00 while you already have it for free. That kind of shit is reserved for the 4 – 5 mic albums which unfortunately don’t get made much in this industry.
Make a great album, then tour – that’s where the money is these days – album sales are dead.
i dont agree. same as for albums, concert sales are dead too. why should someone spend even 5 times as much as hes not even willing to pay for the album. they rather watch the vid on utube. ppl making money these with sponsorships but specially for a rapper its a dangerous thing cuz it def cuts ur freedom to speak. we pay for the freedo to speak or at least we should. thats what i believe
and since this is my fav subject right now another point: if every fan would pay for music the price per copy should def go done.
*down i meant to say lol
Lupe right, all you niggas who sayin Lupe is so fuckin good are the same niggas that be downloadin his shit and not supportin his album. If all you niggaz who sung Lupe’s praise actually went out and got his album he’d be multi-platinum. Cheap ass niggas that don’t buy albums then go on this shit and bash others, fuck outta here. For the record, I got Lupe’s first two albums legit as I do all my favorite artists. Ya’all niggas need to start doin that.
Bawse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If music is gonna be so easy to steal why not instead of coming up with cruel and unusual consequences for the crime, come up with a better way to protect ur property.
Rich people running shit as usual. It’s like the college athletes get a free tuition but no other means to survive while they make BILLIONS of dollars for the universities. On top of that if they do take buy money they get fined or black balled. I kind of digressed but at the end of the day the INTERNET is killing the economy overall. The post office will be next.
I bet the same mother fuckers who scream about the poor getting “handouts” are same ones who think DL music and anything else they can get for free off the net is their right. Damn thieves.
fuck you nigga…we aint all got tophats made of cash and money fallin out our pockets
NNOOOO FUCK YOU.
Jay Cole, Wiz, and other known new acts haven’t made shit but tour money. Some are riding off label advances. That’s basically a loan that has to be paid back.
He makes some interesting points, but generally i totally disagree with ANYONE speaking out against this sort of thing.
Yes it costs them some money to make music, but i dont see ANY of them starving. I dont see any of them driving piece of shit cars or living in one room shacks in some slum.
Each and every one of them sits in their rich house, driving their rich car and covered in all kinds of jewels talkin about how the bad people are taking money of their pocket when they download music. Fuck that.
A lot of us dont have a lot of money and listenin to hip hop is one of the few pleasures we have. We dont have enough money to buy a lot of it so downloading is the only way. So when we hear some millionaire bitching about how we’re takin money out of his fur-lined pocket, it just comes across as wrong.
And my point is especially true for the hip hop genre over all others because about 75% of these guys are rappin about crime and taking what they want, so its hypocritical to then take a stand against the very thing they talk about doing.
rant over.
You’re a shining example of the know nothing hip-hop fan. Artist have those material things because of project advancements from the label, i.e. a loan. A lot of these guys are more famous than rich which makes them a target for media and overzealous fans, this requires PR and Security to manage. How much do you think it cost for a Dre, Kanye, Will I Am, RZA, etc. beat?
And as far as what rappers rap about, if you don’t walk in their shoes then why act like you do.
its losers like u that brings down the economy. instead of finding a job with that u could effort a couple of cds, ur forcing others to work free of charge like urself. ppl gotta stand up for their rights in first place and should not try to correct one mistake with the next.
fuck outta here with that logic..what did u do before the net made piracy so easy…when mixtapes was out dudes would cop to get exclusives from certain artist..then fiddy’s stupid ass overflooded the market and started giving away CD’s and now idiots like u steal music and justify it by saying they aren’t starving..that isn’t the point moron..stealing is stealing..If I broke into your house and stole your flat screen(assuming u have one) and I was caught in the mid-act I wouldn’t say its okay you got another one..dumb muhfucka
Yup. Stealing is stealing. And downloading music is stealing with a 0% chance of getting caught. So actually, its just taking.
I really have to applaud anyone who can seriously compare breaking into a house and stealing a flat-screen to downloading a song. Spot on boyee.
well everyone certainly seems to feel a way about that statement, lol.
i do have a job actually, and i can afford CDs, and i do buy the ones worth buying. But what im saying is why should i go without just so that lupe fiasco can buy another lambourghini.
I dont give a fuck about his bank balance, just my own.
bye bye now, im heading over to the pirate bay 😉
This is seems to be a function of an industry price-correcting itself. No one forced these people to rap. Being a musician is a job. When your job isn’t working out to your satisfaction you have the option to look for a new one. Oh you have a high school education and spent all them G’s you made while rapping because you never learned fiscal responsibility? Too bad then. A lot of people are unemployed right now and unlike musicians they don’t get royalties for shit they did in their last job. Adapt and figure out new revenue streams, be the hustler you rap about.
That was LAME. Fiscal responsibility is to be ok with your customers stealing your product? Since when?
Business is supply and demand. Lupe has the demand part, but without capitol he can’t provide the supply. He’s living off of advance money I’m sure but he’s got to pay that back. And the major labels are tone death to customers on top of everything.
@get real. You’re an idiot. Lupe is the demand AND he has the supply? Wow. Public controls demand and therefore prices. If the prices for his product, be it an itunes single, a concert ticket, is too high then people will simply not pay it. Entertainment is a luxury item for the public at large, act accordingly. Stealing in any capacity is wrong. But think of it outside the music industry – like all the jobs that have been outsourced to India. Cheap overseas labor, stolen free music..all made possible by advancing technology and the internet. Evolve and adapt or get left behind.
Agreed
Phar is a stupid name. Phar makes stupid comments. Phar is just stupid.
People need to understand that touring and merchandice costs money. it’s much easier to do when you have the backing of a major label. Most indies will not give you backing anymore.
Also, while it’s true that most money now is made off touring and merchandise, an album needs to recoup otherwise the artist in question is left to foot the bill, and guess where that money is coming from? that’s right, touring and merch, their main source of revenue.
either way, the artist gets screwed.
look nigga there are only 5 real fucking jobs that exist in this world that ppl DESERVE to get paid for: teacher, policeman, fire fighter, doctor, and scientist. nobody told your dumb ass to rap, nobody told your dumb ass to make it your day job…people steal the shit outta hova, eminem, wayne, and kanye’s music and them niggas get by so shut the fuck up and quit being a crybaby…yeah yeah yeah you are a great rapper and shit, hell one of the best doing it, but you work in a field that is not needed by mankind to survive so take what you can get and quit being a fucking little faggot
^DUMBEST REPLY IN HERE.
says the dude who mops bathrooms for a living..yeah I’d be bitter too if I was a complete bitter loser
Smartest reply in here
lupe always being a lil bitch 1 day he takin shots at the illuminati,the devis in the industry,the next day he posing with atlantic heads like a house negro.cmon nikka chose the side you cant be a false prophet!! if you wanna go against them faggotz and expose them then you gotta leave the industry and do your own shit but i guess you still love the fame and letting them devils control you.so nikka for now shut d fuck
why should he listen to ur orders when u aint paying him ?
Only kids brag about how much music they DL. Along with movies and everything else they can get their bum ass hands on. But for real the internet is just not able to regulate piracy at the moment and it’s killing our economy. It’s hard to buy something you’ve already had for months. It’s old music by the time the physical CD comes out.
I bet your dumb ass don’t even know I’m on your side. Sigh.
I hear you lupe!
this is why i buy all my music of itunes, (not bragging or anything) but so far have brought up to £1000 of there.
its just not cool downloading man, i mean you wouldn’t go into HMV and steal? so why do it in the comfort of your own room…just because no one is there to stop you.
the way i see it, if you respect a artist so much,and love there music as much as you make out, you will buy there music to show this and not DL it.
peace!
x
you sound like a lil faggot
I totally can see where Lupe is coming from. Its like people are stealing right out of his pockets in a way. The thing is no matter what it is if people can get it for free then they figure why pay for it. Why go out and spend fifteen dollars on a 12-15 track cd when you can go on the internet and easily download it for free? until the sources of free media are cut off alot less people are going to buy a CD. I also believe that this is the reason why music hip-hop especially has started to lack quality more and more each day. Artists are not getting what they think they should profit wise and so they are rushing to make album after album and most of it keeps getting worse and worse. But in the end if i got paid any sort of money to make music and i was doing what i love i would be happy in life.
Downloading music will never stop. How you gonna charge people for something they will ALWAYS be able to get free? What, you gonna shut down the internet? It’s the 21st century, ADAPT.
Mad cause you can’t sell something that’s free? Too bad, stop trying. Quit. There’s millions of up and comers who would PAY to have people listen to their shit, just for the chance to be heard and tour. That’s where the dollars are.
Well said Marcus. There’s other artists who get their shit bootlegged heavily too and they aren’t crying. What do they do? Drop mixtapes a few times a year, put out new music, keep the fans hungry, then drop an album. The mixtapes and other songs keep the buzz up and keep the fans from heavily bootlegging their shit. And it works, cause their albums still sell very well. Lupe has a pretty large, dedicated following too so I’m sure he could do the same. I mean, Superstar was a #1 smash hit record. I just think he’s the one to blame, not the fans. Needs to wise up and adjust to the world of Hip Hop in 2010
Ahh the good ol’ days when almost every rapper that had a good CD went platinum. The days when all the hip-hop cds were placed behind the counter at Tour Records. Now Tour Records is gone. The Source magazine is replaced by bullshit like HiphopDX. Rappers didn’t need radio play to sell. I’m from the 90’s fan base so I know how exciting it use to be going to the record store and popping open that new CD. Looking at the art then being taken into another world. I think GRODT was the last time I felt that.
if HipHopDX is bullshit, why you commenting on their website? dumbfuck.
You mad?
downloading goes a lot further than hurting an artists record sales. Consider this. A major label who notices its top artists can’t sell enough records anymore cuz the shit hits the net well in advance of release will do more than cut back on promoting an artist and backing them financially with future releases, or dropping them completely, the label will cut entire divisions because the projects aren’t generating enough profit. A lot of people working at these suffering labels actually lose jobs as a direct effect of mass downloading. So if all you do is download and don’t buy an actual copy your not only taking some money out of an artist pocket, your contributing to regular workers at the label getting the axe.
Hey if people could download happy meals for free they would. As long as its made available it will always be downloaded! Try protecting the music a little better there has to be a way
Word. Anyone who buys cds are goddamn fools.
If you can pay for something, or have it for free, whose gonna line up to pay? Smug idiots.
ok once again for the slow folks: by disrespecting the property of someone else ur also allowing others to disrespect ur own proprety
For the slow folks, how does what I allow others to do to me change when I click my mouse?
Oh wait, it doesn’t! Because people can disrespect my property too, even if I don’t disrespect theirs! Gee wiz!
cuz it destroys workplaces and complete industries, at the end of the day ur the one whos jobless or gotta work almost free of charge cuz on every job there are 500 applicants
yo g-hoppy sometmies those industries you are talkin about deserve to get destroyed—-like the recording industry. that shit is so corrupted and fucked up, wouldnt you like to see it get destroyed? i would. then we could get back to the music. it’s all run by old white dudes who don’t know shit anyways. get back to that independence shit where rappers runnin their own independent joints and gettin big distribution deals like roc-a-fella and cash money back in the day. that’s love right there
yo slickyricky 🙂 (one of my favs of all time) i feel u with that but if this continues with all economy (and its actually necessary everywhere) it will finally end by going back to the days without money (i would support it, and u?)
What happened to Lupe? Dude used to be nice, and just get on the mic and spit, now he’s just a little whiny bitch. He’s one of my favorite MC’s too, but I’m sick of him crying about shit all the time. Grow a set!
didnt lupe’s last album sell pretty well? (for todays standards). isnt he on tour most of the year all over the country? isnt lupe close to being a millionaire (if he aint already)? bitch stop crying.
Bitch ass can’t even put a name to the ignorant reply…
How bout this one folks? I download albums and shit before they come out to see if ill like it. I usually will hear 4-5 tracks and get a good sense of what the album is gonna be like, and if i wanna buy it or not. If i hear some standout tracks, i go buy that album. if all the tracks are whack, i dont buy that shit. Lupe, can you blame me for doing that? I wanna preview my shit before i buy it. If you dont like that then fuck you
most times i do the same unless i know anywayz its gonna be dope and that i gotta have it. we have created lot of fraud artists nowadays which makes it essential. i think ur idea is best
this is what i like best on this page btw, in the review album section they have players with snippets of each song, this way u get a good impression about the album without stealing anything
Amazon and a lot of other online retailers already do this. They provide a little under a minute snippet of each song of the album. These snippets typically begin and end somewhere in the middle of the song so you get the best feel for it.
THE INTERNET MADE YOU LUPE, SO IF YOU DONT LIKE WHAT THE INTERNET IS DOING TO YOU, CHOOSE ANOTHER CAREER BITCH.
FOOD & LIQUOR DROPPED ALMOST 4 YEARS AGO, GET OVER IT! YOUR 2ND ALBUM SOLD A LOT OF ALBUMS, YOU CRYIN OVER SPILLED MILK. LEARN HOW TO ADAPT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST MY NIGGA
I completely agree that downloading music fucks up shit for everybody, not only for the artist. But, Lupe has to wake up and smell the coffee. This happens to everybody, from Blueprint 3 to X-men.
And his whining and bitching about downloads actually makes his true fans dislike him. Just because of some fools out there, his appreciating fans can’t get any music? What kind of nonsense is that?
Just because of his dumb logic, where listener owes his all mighty ass something, makes me wanna download his music even more.
Lupe don’t forget, artist are just over paid clowns. And you were once broke too, just as the other kid who has better things to spend his money on. If you don’t think so, get a different audience and make music for the chicks and 50 year old baby mamas.
damn damn damn (andre 3000 voice) well said. i’m a fan of lupe’s, got all his albums, and i’ve went to 2 of his shows….but this shit makes me like him as an artist less. plus this aint the 1st time he’s done this or cried about it. i might not even buy his next album…
Artist are overpaid clowns? Wow. How “gangsta” of you as you talk shit behind your keyboard. Shut the fuck up you coward.
Lupe has way more respect than you’ll ever get. At least he’s man enough to take the heat.
the irony of “itsme” callin someone a coward hiding behind their monitor whilst insulting someone coz he’s safe behind his is jus comedy to me…
LUPE’S RIGHT! You bitches are the whiners.
Translation: DOWN LOAD DEEZE NUTS BIOOOTTCCCCHHH!!!!!
Sign Lupe Fiasco
hey for everyone who loves free downloads, i got permission from artist for this one lol check it out
http://www.datpiff.com/G-HOP_JET_2_Best_Of_Jet_2.m176577.html
Aww, poor Lupe. Homie needs to shut the fuck up. Quit making music if you hate the system that much! Nobody has a gun to your head forcing you to rap and make records. Go get a 9-5 like everybody else. True artistry can’t be stifled. You think Kool Herc or the Juice Crew was doing it for the money? Nah…not even a little bit. They were doing it for the love of the craft. Seriously Lupe, you’re not even that great of a rapper (that pretend-to-be-educated non-rhyming voice intonation bullshit is tired). Stop complaining about something you OPTED INTO.
I say fuck him and all those wack artist complaining about losing money. Get rid of the labels and maybe we will start to get real music again. He is part of the illumanti anyway…dirty captialists
Fuck you. Capitalism is the thing that fuels this country. Yeah with Regan’s deregulation of the various industries and corporations it fucked us over, but like everything in the “free” market regulations of those industries comes back. You can keep on dreaming if you want to live in a world where the rich stay rich, and the poor have to work just to get by but its not going to happen..ever. The rich are going to exploit the working classes for the rest of time, its human nature.
And the illuminate bullshit can is so retarded. People love rumors and your just another person that likes a good story or your looking another reason to justify someone else’s good fortune.
At the moment w/no laws in place he is fighting a loosing battle. If people like it, see it & it’s free, they’re gonna take it.
this kid used to be on that I’m all about the music fuck sales tip yet all his ass has done for the last 12 months is bitch n fuckin whine about money like any if us should give a fuck
your fans including me bought your first 2 albums n made you a multi millionairre n your stupid ass didn’t think to invest some of that in buying your own studio n if you have your own studio then it costs you zero to make music
you don’t have to pay for beats from the fuckin neptunes I can use a pharell beat now n leak the joint free you know why coz unlike your Lyin ass I actually don’t give a fuck about sales n therefore don’t need to clear beats
Your too broke to buy a CD on Amazon bro. These cheap bastards these dayyyyyyyyyyyyyys
It’s funny to call downloading stealing because Lupe might have paid to make the song but he didn’t pay for that mp3 file someone actually downloaded. He doesn’t lose any money unless somebody would have bought the shit otherwise, which complicates the whole equation.
All you people jumping to Lupe’s defense bitching about how downloading is stealing, let me ask: If I got kids to feed and don’t have money to be picking up hip-hop albums but I still want to hear Lasers, is it still wrong to download his album? Would Lupe prefer I just said fuck it and didn’t even check for the art he so expensively and pain-stakingly created? That’s some fucked up kind of logic to me and goes against the spirit of listening to/making music in the first place.
Now let’s say I have money to buy 10 albums but there’s 100 albums I want? Should I buy the 10 and say fuck all the rest? It doesn’t affect the other 90 artists either way, so you’re saying I should NOT bump their music out of respect for them? If anyone says yes to that I’m gonna need an explanation.
Of course, none of that matters because downloading is here to stay whether it’s right or wrong and somehow artists are still surviving, so Lupe and his ilk need to shut the fuck up and adapt.
Fucking Troofs.
you robber
You have idiotic logic man..Well let’s see, I need to feed my kids, but I really think I should have the right to drive a BMW. But I can’t afford it, so fuck it, I’ll go ahead and steal one and drive that shit around…You sound like an entitled little bitch…In whatever you do in your shithole life as far as a career, I’m sure you don’t have somebody coming and stealing your best ideas on a daily basis, and then telling you to quit bitching…Now, I do rip music off the net all the time, but I always always always support my core artists that consistently put out good music..I always pay for Em, Lupe, Jay, TIP..
Well said Assassin221…I see your point.
However I see where Lupe is coming from too. If you go to work be it in Retail or for Corporate America I’m sure at the end of the day you want to be paid for it. And I’m sure if you were running a business,lets say a Book store… I’m sure you’d want people to buy your books rather than steal your books… Right!?
But what if they didn’t steal them!?
What if they came in your store… read your books in the store and then put them back on the shelf… Hence not stealing but you aren’t making anything either…You have the greatest bookstore in town but you don’t make a dime because of it. Do you think your store would sustain itself???
Just a question I!R?
Assassin221 you should shut the fuck up and adapt. Im not a music artist but I am an artist of another medium. These music artist are putting their time and money into shit and these ADHD crack fiend music motherfuckers just keep stealing shit point blank..call it the fuck you want.
Lupe already gave tons of FREE SHIT so it’s not fair to STEAL it. Why don’t you manage your money and buy albums when you can. I mean dayum can you be ethical about this shit?! I guess not.
I’m not saying that I never got a burnt CD from somebody but I can honestly say that 97% of my CDs are all legit, bought from the store
So I mean that analogy about if you had to feed the wife and kids is kind of wack…Listen to Revenge of the Nerds and that recent Mixtape Lupe had until you can spend only about $13 on a Lasers Album…I mean I bet if you don’t eat fast food for a week, you can have enough money to buy a damn album!….people are crazy for real
Not surprisingly people want to come back and didn’t comprehend anything I put down. That BMW analogy is totally different because if I steal a BMW, the owner is out however many g’s he paid for that BMW no matter what. But if I download a Lupe album that I COULD NOT AFFORD TO BUY ANYWAY, Lupe isn’t losing a dime. The only difference whether I get to appreciate the art he put so much effort and money into. So are you really saying if I can’t afford it, the most “ethical” and “respectful” thing to do for Lupe is just not check for his shit in the first place? That shit makes no sense.
And you also apparently ignored my other example. The average music fan today wants to hear more shit than they can afford. So if I have money for 5 albums but I want 10, are you saying out respect for the other 5 artists I should just say fuck their music? If Lupe answered yes to that question I would boycott his shit on principle alone.
If you’re going to reply, please read my examples carefully first and think of somes shit that makes sense before you post.
The flaw in your logic is that not having the means to an end justifies taking morally and legally wrong actions. I gotta pay rent, phone, lights, etc. but I want that new 50 in. flat screen from Sony. Would Sony rather I say fuck it and just stick with my old Mitsubishi, or steal one from Wal-Mart, speak to others favorably about it and lose out on 2,500 in the process? When you take your logic across the board, do you see how stupid you sound? Stealing is stealing. I won’t lie I downloaded F&L and The Cool EARLY. But I also BOUGHT two copies when they came out to support the artist. It doesn’t take back my wrongdoing for what ever reason I did it, but it does mean that the artist doesn’t suffer from my lack of patience. It’s that simple.
Assassin, again you’re comment is retarded..Lupe specifically stated it can cost him hundreds of thousands for a true radio single..If you’re saying you weren’t going to buy it anyways, and the artists really don’t lose out on anything, then how do you explain the drop in record sales across the board..They are losing out on money dumbass..Don’t you remember when you HAD to pay for music, if you wanted it, and didn’t have the money, you saved up for it, or gave up something else for it…I do feel bad for legit artists that get hosed on album sales and money, b/c their whole CD is the shit and should be paid for…Just b/c they’re already rich, they shouldn’t make the money they deserve, that’s some socialism shit right there.
The fucking music industry has been robbing us for a long time with albums containing 1-2 good songs, so fuck em, you put out a slamming album, i will support you, you put out shit,i will steal it and frisbee it
Co-sign
cosigned too
bullshit talk, why would u download it first place if u didnt like it and why yall dont download what u can officially get for free, u only want to download it cuz its forbidden ánd after all u got the nerv to coe here n complain
Jay Electronica > Lupe
Jay’s definitely gonna take his fans if all Lupe’s gonna do is bitch and not put out any music.
Jay’s probably thinking “you don’t want the fans, I’ll take ’em”
Lupe has his side of the argument and those who download have theirs, and other don’t care cause its free. There is no one just or right thing to do in this fucked up world. Just do what feels right to you. Lupe is going to continue to make good music and people are going to continue to download that music. Legally it is stealing and you can get charged for it. Don’t try to justify that it is not, but just accept that you are stealing his music for reasons that make sense to you.
Check out Lupe’s new video, those symbols mean everything.Also, as long as the system is the way it is, I will pimp it…
Its not stealing to download his shit, one person stole it…thats the person who leaks it. Be Upset At That Guy…Once It Hits The Internet, The Shit Is Public. Protect your files better than that…especially when its worth so much. A freestyle dont cost shit…hench the word free.
Don’t worry Lupe…I’m buying your shit.
wow at this ‘logic’ ! 1)as per law its also forbidden to buy or take stolen things. what ur saying is that as soon as u got robbed once ur allowing everyone to rob u too. 2)a freestyle is called a freestyle cuz its unwritten. do ur homework kid. 3) have u ever thought about the fact that u pay like 10 pirate copys when buying one legal copy cuz at the end of the day they include it in their calculations and the customer will pay it. dumb kid
@nesta that was THE dumbest thing I have ever heard!!! LOL
who really cares. the only money thats being lost because of downloading is on big name music like lupe is now. they make enough on advertising and shit so no one should act like this is some concious insightful thing to say.
gtf outta here Lupe, if you not happy, then go do a 9 to 5 like everybody else you ungrateful bastard
I have heard enuf from these record companies already. Why don’t they adopt to the times. I tried buying Ric’s cd and Kanye too on amazon for $4 download but was told bcoz l am not in US I have to go get it in local stores for 20. Well how many ppl where in my shoes? I see torrents with 1000 downloading atleast and that’s 4000 dollars they could have atleast made there. So no pity sorry.
i gotta say that i do understand the young people a lil bit cuz its a fact that most of them will never reach anywhere with a regular job. honest work aint paying out these days, its true. so they believe becoming a celebrity would solve the problem. but it cant cuz again a rule is not a good rule when its not working if everyone applies to it. in our case this means that sooner or later we have a bunch of wannbestars who believes to get paid for nothing and on the other hand the same bunch of fools believes they are entilteled to get everything for free. but who will actually get the job done? think about it
Honest work will get you by, if you live within your means, are financially responsible, and focus on what’s important in life which is definitely not $ or material items. The problem is the obsession with consumption, and the idol worship of celebrities. They have a financial incentive to push this sort of consumption, and irresponsible parents who didn’t instill the proper values in the children are to blame as well, because now the children a) think material things define success, and b) don’t put in work to achieve anything on their own.
not really true, noawadys u can feel lucky already when your fulltimejob pays ur rent and food.
Lupe stop complaining about people downloading your shit. Your music sucks dick anyway. You don’t like it, get a job.
Go back to Princeton & explain to Cornel West’s prodominately white class to take they ass to ANY library in the america, find ANY genre of music they want, rent it, burn it on your psee or mak, voila! – F. rap
It’s reaaally funny to come here and read about this millionaire whining about the money, and then have a 100 kids livin off of their parents allowance defending him and sympathizing with the “poor robbed guy”, that really made my day
u got something wrong, those kids who live with their parents are those who want free downloads cuz in their world everything is fully paid by someone else. those of us who have a job actually understand that someone wanne gets paid for doing a job and also we can effort a couple of cds.
I find it slightly amusing that 99% of the comments below me are people thinking that commenting on HipHopDx is directly addressing Lupe. “Hey Lupe, if you put out good music then I will….” HE CAN’T HEAR YOU ITS NOT HIS WEBSITE.
I download music for free all the fucking time. Everyone does. It’s in the public domain, and although illegal, downloading illegally has become part of the 5th estate/blogosphere culture.I downloaded all of Lupe’s recent songs.
However If I enjoy the music, I WILL buy the actual album when it comes out (I bought Food & Liquor and the Cool), I will reward the artist and his team if I appreciate the music. The public can now make a rational choice when deciding what they decide to spend their money on. The artist has to work towards the point of creating a functional relationship with his fans.
The end of CDs is nigh, artists gotta concentrate on shows, tours and the actual artistry of albums as well to bolster commercial appeal and develop a certain promotional acumen. Labels have to wise up, artists gotta embrace the Internet and develop web-savvy promo to boost the actual appeal of having a physical album.
The fans have to learn to value their favourite rappers as well, I think we have become lazy to a certain extent as well….
OK Lupe defenders, answer me this simple question: If I’m a huge Lupe fan but I absolutely do not have money to buy his album…I just got fired, robbed, hospital bills, whatever the fuck, just accept that I do not have the money…is it better to download it or just not even check for it at all? Yes or no and explain, that’s all I want.
download that shit mang. if you dont have any money i garentee lu would perfer u listening to his shit, telling peopl bumping his shit in the streets (free advertisement)
^^ wait untill u have the money. it wont take u ages to save 10 bux, would it?
OK but new albums are coming out all the time and money is going all the time so at some point there’s going to be albums I want that I can’t afford. Is it better to just ignore the shit I can’t afford to buy?
U WANT TO TAKE ALL AND GIVE BACK ZERO. still u feel right about that. lets see, even with a job most people cant effort everything what they want so they gotta make choices. I also want 5 cars but since i cannot effort it should I steal your and your friends cars? ur logic suggs dick
I think it’s ridiculous cause without the internet he’d have absolutely no career. The internet made this guy and now he condemns it? Fucking hypocrite, if i was thinking of paying for his cd im not anymore
lame excuse for something that uve planned anyways
Can someone with some knowledge in the field enlighten me..
So let’s get it straight, some random motherfucka can get up on youtube, drop a freestyle over a milli, push the shit on the net and get plays, and he won’t pay jack shit for it since he jacked the beat from the net..
But when a major artist is going to do the same shit, not only does he have to get the PERMISSION to do the freestyle by the producer, he also needs to PAY the producer to use the beat.
WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS. HE. TALKING. ABOUT?
Is he serious with that shit? Also, how can a song cost you 4000 dollars?! You got a major label pushing you and you put that much dow outta your poket?? Then what’s the point with a major?? I thought the whole thing going major is to get major push without playing with your own money.
Again, could someone enlighten me. This fuckery gives me a headache.. Lemme find out Weezy and all the other billion rappers that push free mixtapes every week have to PAY to release that shit on the net.. Fuck outta here with that bullshit.
Think about what you just typed. The difference is the average Joe vs. a celebrity. When the average Joe does it, nobody pays attention, because every average Joe does it, so it’s nothing special, also because this person doesn’t have a fan base. But when you move into people in the industry, there is the possibility that income can be generated from even a freestyle, however indirectly it may occur. In that case, the wise producer/artist protects their investment by charging a fee to do a non-capital “remix”. Makes perfect sense. IF you’re using your brain, that is…
Hey douchebag, Lupe has his own label. its called first n’ fifteenth. atlantic is his DISTRIBUTOR. As the only artist on the planet to pretty much control all of his own moves, he has no real manager, no real team, and guess the fuck what, pays out of POCKET for the shit he drops. of course his shits going to get downloaded but dont try to bash him for being on the fence about it. lupe is the only one making real shit…so why cant we take his advice?
All Lupe ever does is whine about some shit. I never hear anything coming out from his camp besides some more whining cry baby type of shit. All artists get their shit downloaded and I don’t see them crying about it EVERY SINGLE INTERVIEW! Just shut the fuck up and make more music to put out. You got a career making music and your dope on the mic so stop trippin all the damn time cause it’s getting old homie and it’s getting annoying. So annoying in fact that I’m about to stop listening to you just because you sound like a damn female always harpin and crying about the same shit. Name one other artist that whines about this shit on every single interview they do??? It’s the only reason this fool is even in the news anymore is because he’s whining about the same shit you whined about the month before. I don’t even care of the person interviewing your ass keeps asking you the questions about it just tell them to read your past 1000 interviews and they will have the answer and keep it moving and talk about the music or anything else besides the same cry baby shit!!!
Just a thought if the leaks aren’t coming from Lupe’s camp then they must be coming from Atlantic and if so you have to ask why? Could Labels be double dipping? Could they also be doing this to sabotage the career of a disgruntle “I want to do this my way work”? Maybe is content alone disrupts the very formula these labels have worked so hard to build. They have a fast food system in place and his music contradicts that. Lets not be fooled by the smoke and mirrors. On the flip side I truly can’t see how it would cost him that much money to produce music especially when many of these producers would give a left leg to work with him. I doubt the Neptunes would charge him much when Pharell clearly stated he would love to have him join N.E.R.D. If anything he could always barter verses for beats which is common practice in the industry. However I understand his frustration I just think his anger is directed at the wrong people the fans at large are the reason he is where he is, his label is the reason he’s frustrated as an artist.
I like downloading all my music, they make more money than i make and their job is way more fun
Hi haterz, this nigga sucks… I sold more albums than him. Buy my album World 2.0.
all i have to say is remember what j-cole said ”a album 10 dollars you act like it’s 10 g’s if you got the money buy the album stop hatin so hard hes the only rapper out makin GOOD music
WATCH LUPE GETS ASS PENETRATED BY RICK ROSS, NAS AND J. COLE ON MY WEBSITE.
you make your money from touring not ya album sales… come on now this isnt a fucking secret damn Lu you just lost one fans respect…
How many Lupe concerts you been to..NONE..If Lupe lost your respect with this, than you wasn’t a fan in the first place…Dude’s the truth, and is one of the few artists that should be selling 5 million albums a pop and bein’ filthy rich
if your album is whack we download it and maybe play a few times then delete if ya album is fire then like all music IT SELLS ITSELF… i download music ALL DAMN DAY but if im feelin ya album i will support the artist and BUY it! now im thinking if i wanna smash my Lu cd’s but even though you make a STUPID comment i still cant help but love both of the albums…so for now they still stay intact..
Oh no, don’t break your burnt Lupe CD..that’ll show him, shit probably won’t even play in your shit ass Sony Xplod CD player anyways…I bet about 20% of people who d/l shit early actually go out and buy it..
He’s right but its a useless argument, people who wanna steal are gonna steal and the internet has made you incapable of stopping it.
And its mostly the “REal Hip Hop Heads” who dont buy anything, yet they turn around and complain about people selling out and going pop
Why shouldnt they, so they can continue entertaining your thieving ass for free??, fuck outta here, lol
I DOWNLOAD MUSIC TO SEE IF THE ALBUM IS WORTH BUYING, NOT TO STEAL IT!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S CALLED CONSUMER PROTECTION MUFUCKAS!!! ME PERSONALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS I FEEL I HAVE BEEN FUCKED BY ALOT OF ARTIST! I GO AND PAY OVER TEN DOLLARS FOR A RECORD THAT AIN’T WORTH FIFTY CENTS! SO FUCK YOU LUPE!
Go test drive a car and don’t bring that shit back and see what happens…Dumb Fuck..Music retailers have stations set up and sound bytes to preview a whole CD, quit makin’ excuses for your bullshit, bitch ass nigga..
n-gga please, an album ten dollars
you act like it’s ten g’s
this food for thought cost the same as 2 numbers three’s
so at ease with that broke shit
————-J. Cole—————
I GUARANTEE it’s not leaking from Lupe’s camp…what happens is, just like with dudes who go tape new releases at the movie theatres, they make connections with people who traditionally receive music early..I used to go to school in Terre Haute where Columbia House is..One dude would steal one copy, and his boss knew about it so he never got in trouble, and would upload that shit..As far as a single song leaking, that shit can happen in many ways..You can hack into a network, you can just jack somebody’s e-mail, somebody at the mastering studio can jack it and pass it on, etc…
If you made good music people will buy it regardless… IE Recovery
lol you can’t stop the fucking internet…so stop crying lupe…its useless…i don’t see how rappers depend on album sales?! cuz nobody fucking buy cds anymore…why would i spend my hard earned money for something i can get for free…and i can use the 10~15 dollars to buy something i really need…thats how everybody sees it
What a joke… Lupe only sold charted at number 8 his debut album and number 14 for his sophmore album and they think he’s next album will sell? LOL… unlike you wack niggaz who buy this shit, I buy every Gucci Album. he’s the best rapper.
It’s Gucci Time
hahaha your kidding right. that was funny. short bus shawty gucci is the worst rapper ever hahaha
lupe is the best rapper in the game right now